After spotting numerous blog postings that question whether Democrat Dennis Kucinich in fact said he’d consider Republican Ron Paul as his running mate, The Plain Dealer is posting exclusive audio of the remarks Kucinich made on Sunday.

On Tuesday, the National Jewish Democratic Council released a statement that criticized the Cleveland congressman for saying he’d consider the Texas Republican congressman as his vice president if he wins the Democratic party’s nomination.

“Despite his views on the Iraq War, Rep. Paul no more belongs on a Democratic ticket than Dennis Kucinich on a Republican one,” NJDC Executive Director Ira N. Forman said in the statement. “Any Jewish Democrats or independents that are tempted toward Rep. Paul because of his stance on the War should be reminded that this Republican Representative has a terrible record on Middle East politics, is anti-choice, and opposes stem cell research.”

“Rep. Paul has even gone so far as to call the Israel government ‘evil,'” continued Forman.

For the record, Kucinich promised New Hampshire audiences that he’d bring a “healing hand” to Middle East politics if elected.

“I support the survival of Israel,” Kucinich told a Saturday night house party in Francestown, NH. “And I also support the rights of the Palestinians to a Palestinian homeland.”

He opposes the right of consenting adults to marry whom they wish. He supports laws that criminalize private sexual conduct between consenting adults.

That’s a load of BS. Actually, RP sees the marriage issue as one of contract law and association, and has said as much in his interview at Google HQ. He doesn’t believe that the federal government has any right to limit who consenting adults associate with.

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You always have to examine these claims and look for the truth in the action not the rhetoric.

And the truth is that he approaches every policy decision from the basis of a consistent, logical philosophy. The reason why someone like Ron Paul opposes things like federal funding for research is because he knows that government is literally force, and in a democratic society that means that the ability to use that force is subject to the whims of whoever is elected to office. So… the best thing to do then is to limit that force as much as possible, and where it’s not possible, to distribute it as widely and a closely to the local level as you can.

Paul shouldn’t be on anybody’s ticket. He opposes a woman’s right to choose. He openly calls for the criminalization of abortion. He opposes the right of consenting adults to marry whom they wish. He supports laws that criminalize private sexual conduct between consenting adults. He doesn’t believe in the separation of church and state. He doesn’t believe there’s a right to privacy in the US Bill of Rights. He believes states have the right to violate the civil liberties of US citizens. He actually believes the Bill of Rights gives states rights.

The man is a racist, patriarchal, homophobic Christianist dinosaur. All freedom-loving people in their right mind strongly reject Paul’s white states rights conservative politics.

Kucinich really screwed up this one. He proved in a matter of a dozen seconds that he does not have the judgment to be our candidate for president of the United States.

This country is not an eagle that needs a left and a right wing to fly. That’s a stupid and ugly metaphor. Balance is irrelevant. Politics isn’t yin and yang. There is no intrinsic order to the political universe that requires a left and a right side.

There is a right and a wrong side, and those things don’t balance. Examples of the wrong side: Paul, Hitler, Bush.

Gravel is showing his ass by flirting with the Rontards, as well. Both of them are beyond consideration.

Opposing federal funding for stem cell research is effectively opposing stem cell research itself, research that could produce treatments that save lives and improve the quality of existence, so Paul’s clarification is irrelevant for those who care about making sure the research is carried out.

These are technicalities that have no real bearing on reality. You can say gays ought to be able to engage in anal sex, but if you support laws that make anal sex criminal then you effectively opposing gays engaging in anal sex. You can say that you don’t care whether a woman uses birth control, but if you actively deny poor women family planning services, then you effectively oppose birth control.

This is the old rhetorical trick of the states rights Conservative. He says that he doesn’t have anything against some activity but then he supports laws that restrict that activity, opposes attempts to overturn those laws, or actively works to cut necessarily funds for vital public services.

Southerners used to tell the country that they opposed lynching, but when the federal government moved to pass laws protecting blacks in the South from lynching (since southern states weren’t interested in protecting blacks), southerners opposed the federal government’s efforts. Southerners said, “Hey, we’re not racist, we just don’t think the federal government should stop us from lynching Negros.”

As we say in the south, “Same difference.” You always have to examine these claims and look for the truth in the action not the rhetoric.

Yes, the left and the right are two ways of looking at life and civics. They are both worthy of merit so long as they work for the people they claim to support. This article is very extreme in calling libertarians horrible people because after all it is the root of our once (slightly) righteous beginnings as a country and many, many people know this. Libertarianism is not the end all, nor is socialism. Those who are wise know to consider that which is foreign to them. My vote is for Kucinich (even though I can’t seem to find an organizer in this dammed state of Texas) but I’d vote for Ron Paul before I’d go for Edwards because he’s real.

I am so disappointed in Kucinich. Obviously he doesn’t know his base of supporters to suggest this and shows he is somewhat naive on what will bring this nation together….
Am now wondering if I can continue to support him…..

obviously, you underestimate the good judgment of your own candidate. i just listened to his response. fantastic logic, and the only logic that will work in a general election against hillary and giuliani. this country, like that eagle, needs a left wing and a right wing in order to fly. combine civil libertarian views on the constitution with a deep concern for social justice, scaling back military power overseas and practicing fiscal responsibility in a way that won’t bankrupt this country altogether. brilliant.

i am disappointed to hear you are “disappointed” about a paul/kucinch ticket. i thought you were with me on this? i have spent a great deal of time commenting on this blog about why such a coalition would be nothing less than a dream ticket, but perhaps you haven’t heeded any of my words.

Keep in mind that federal funding for stem cell research implies forcing people to pay for something they may or may not support. This violates their individual rights. Once we start violating individual rights for one thing that “we” think is a good thing, the door is open for us to start violating rights in other more dangerous ways.

I am personally a Kucinich supporter, thats who I will be voting for in the primary. My opinion is Clinton and Guiliani have only name recognition and thats enough for the general public who have the collect intelligence of a sack of hammers, but thats not enough for me. Their oath of office is to defend and protect the Constitution…all of them have failed except Kucinich and Paul who have co-sponsored many bills and have been often the lonely 2 votes against the madness we see now. Yes, they do differ on domestic policy, but I feel we are under attack from within and all of them have either endorsed the use of war or have literally voted on it. To attack and occupy a country that did not threaten us or attack us in any way. Thats a war crime, thats the literal definition of a war crime. We didn’t prosecute the Nazi’s for genocide, we prosecuted them for wars of aggression! Please evaluate your personal beliefs, your sense of justice. I can see a Kucinich/Paul joint ticket as moving us back to sanity.

Just a slight correction: RP does not oppose stem cell research, he just opposes government funding it; he also opposes any other kind of government-funded research, regardless of what it is, so he has nothing against stem cell research in particular.

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